Disneyland Diamond Anniversary Day Trip!

[Disney Kidd]

Hello everybody! I have been reading a ton of trip reports, but this is my first time posting! I am a huge Disney fanatic, and have had an annual pass to Disneyland pretty much every year of my life. I was born and raised in San Diego, a mere hour and a half away from the magical kingdom. I also had the luxury of going to Disney World almost every summer growing up!

Yesterday I took a day trip to Disneyland for my mom's birthday! Just in time for all the new attractions associated with Disney's 60th anniversary! More to come!

 

[Disney Kidd]

Since I'm new to the board, I have to have ten posts before I can post any photos. I don't want to post the Trip Report until I can include photos because I took a lot of fun ones! I promise the trip report will be up once I can do so!

 

[Disney Kidd]

We left San Diego around 11 for Anaheim. We knew we wanted to stay late so we didn't want to leave too early. We parked, took the tram, and walked through the Disneyland front entrance at 1:15. Then took this picture:



Front L to R: Rod (Stepdad), Mom (Birthday girl!), Allie (Stepsister)
Back L to R: Ryan (brother), Jacob (brother), Me!

My goals for the day: Paint the Night Parade, Disneyland Forever Fireworks, and Matterhorn.

Main Street was very exciting and lively. I looked around and could see Goofy, Chip and Dale, Minnie, and Pluto -- all wearing their new Diamond Celebration outfits. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself! Here's the front entrance:





We continued along Main Street and noticed a new Peter Pan window! They are making 6 new Main Street animated windows for the 60th, but only Peter Pan was ready today.



Keep looking at the window for a few minutes because it will transform into a new scene from Peter Pan! So cool! It's the little details that make Disney so magical.

We decided we wanted to get a FP for Splash Mountain. We reached the FP machine around 1:40 and the return time was 3:25 (pretty good!). We walked by the canoes and noticed there was no line. This is an attraction I have not been on in awhile, and often times forget about.

We boarded the canoes around 1:55.




It wasn't too hot out but the rowing did start to hurt my arms so I took a little break for a photo.



I think my brother was feeling the same way. His face tells it all.



We got off the canoes around 2:10 and decided to have a little snack break with some Mickey-shaped beignets from The French Market. They were warm and delicious!

We headed over to BTMRR and got in line at 2:35. The posted wait time was 35 minutes. Next up: Why BTMRR was an EPIC FAIL and how it turned out for the better

 

[jane2073]

I love the Peter Pan window!! I wish we would get that down here.

 

[Disney Kidd]

When we got to the front of BTMRR, an announcement came on stating that the ride was having technical difficulties. Of course! We would've literally boarded the next train. We were told that we would be receiving fast passes. Now here's something that everyone might not know because they don't really tell you. These passes are good for ANY ride ANY time, and the ride doesn't have to have FP for it to work. We wanted to use it for a ride that didn't have FP, and ended up choosing Matterhorn. I was so excited to go on Matterhorn today because it just re-opened, and I know they changed the abominable snowman inside. We were so excited for Matterhorn that we hardly cared about missing BTMRR.



We headed to Matterhorn a little after 3:00, entered the exit, and basically walked on! I purposefully did not look at any photos or videos of the new snowman so I had no idea what to expect. Let me tell you, I was blown away! I try to avoid spoilers as much as possible, and was so glad I did for this one!

We got off Matterhorn around 3:30, and it was time to use our Splash Mountain FP! We headed in that direction and noticed that the return time for HM was 4:25. We wanted to get to DCA, but figured 4:25 would be about the time we would be done with Splash so we decided to grab a FP.

I sat in front on Splash Mountain last time, and got soaked. I refused to sit in front this time!



Good thing I didn't because those in front got soaked! I've decided that six is the perfect number for Disneyland. Not only did we take up a whole Matterhorn bobsled, we also got our own log on Splash Mountain!

We exited Splash Mountain and got to Haunted Mansion at exactly 4:25! I was excited to go on this as well because I heard that they brought The Hatbox Ghost back. Here's a view of him:



You only see him for a few seconds, but when you've been to Disneyland as many times as I have, and could ride Haunted Mansion with your eyes closed, seeing ANYTHING new is a HUGE deal!

At this time we decided to make our way over to DCA. I wanted to get a feel for how crowded the parade and fireworks were going to be so I asked a cast member for advice. She told me that I needed to be sitting down on Main Street by 7 to get a spot for the parade which was at 8:50. My family are not big waiters, so I knew waiting for two hours to see the parade was not an option. However, I was still determined to accomplish my goals. Next up, DCA and perhaps the parade?

 

[Disney Kidd]

I love the Peter Pan window!! I wish we would get that down here.

I can't wait to see what the other windows look like!

 

[Disney Kidd]

We arrived in DCA at 5:00 and got a FP for Tower of Terror with a return time at 6:15. We made our way through Bug's Land to walk through Cars Land (because who can go to DCA without visiting Cars Land) on our way to dinner. My mom really wanted to ride Mater's Junkyard Jamboree and the wait was only 5 minutes!



We then made our way to Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta for dinner. I had a slice of cheese pizza which ended up being one of the worst things I've ever had in the entire Disneyland resort. I also drank a Sierra Nevada, which made me feel a little better. Also, the Pixar Play Parade was happening at the same time so we got to watch that while we ate. I like when things work out perfectly like that.

After dinner, it was time to use our Tower of Terror FP. On our way there we took this photo using photopass.



We got to Tower of Terror around 6:30, and it was a blast of course. Something seemed different with the lighting this time, though. I don't know if they changed it or if it wasn't working properly.



After Tower, we left DCA and went back to Disneyland to try our luck at the nighttime entertainment. Just as we expected, people were already gathering and claiming their spots. Against everyone's recommendations, we decided to come back closer to 8:50, do the impossible, and see the parade.

We headed down Main Street, and took a picture in front of the diamond-studded castle.



At 7:25 we got a FP for Star Tours (return time 9:30), and then went to ride Buzz Lightyear. Going along with the theme of the day, it was broken! We then headed over to the sneak peak of Tomorrowland. The movie looked really interesting. My mom saw it and said it was disappointing, but I think I'll still watch it eventually. Leave it to Disney, to have moving chairs, wind in your face, and other effects through this sneak peak! That's what I love about Disney, they can't just show you a clip, they have to make it extra special! Did I mention how much I love all the details here?

We heard it was less crowded around It's a Small World so we decided to check out the area. To be honest, it looked about the same. We really wanted to watch the fireworks from Main Street, with a view of the castle and Matterhorn, so decided not to watch the parade from It's a Small World.

At this time it was about 8:00, and instead of heading back to Main Street, we decided to do the insane and wait 30 minutes for Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin! This has to be one of the most entertaining queues in all of Disneyland!

It was about 8:30 when we were done with Roger Rabbit. We had 20 minutes to get back down to Main Street for Paint the Night. Would we be able to do it?

 

[Disney Kidd]

We arrived in Main Street at around 8:40. There were definitely no spots anywhere along the way. We headed into the Emporium, and figured it was more important to wait it out and try to get a spot for the fireworks. I bought my mom a Mickey pepper mill for her birthday. We realized that the parade started from It's a Small World, so it didn't get to Main Street until about 9:05. I was a little bummed we didn't stake out a spot for Paint the Night, but knew I would be back multiple times this year when it would be less crowded. We could see most of the floats from inside the Emporium; you're just not allowed to stand in the doorways. Towards the end of the parade we went to the walkway and headed towards the castle -- catching some floats along the way! I think my favorite float was Cars.

At the end of Main Street we aligned with the rope at the end of the parade. We immediately filed into the street, with a perfect view of the castle and Matterhorn. Make sure to go in immediately because this entire area filled up within seconds!

I took only videos of the parade and fireworks so sorry there aren't any pictures. In a way that's better. I think the less you know about the two, the better! The fireworks began at 9:30. I was blown away!! I was not standing in Main Street, but I could easily turn around and see the images they projected there. I think it's better to have a view of the Matterhorn. There's a new character that flies above the castle. I wanted to be surprised, but someone spoiled it for me! For this reason, you REALLY want to see the Matterhorn.

After the Fireworks ended, we headed to Star Tours for our fastpass. It was a little before 10. I have tried SO many times to be the rebel spy. Yet again, I wasn't chosen . Next up we headed on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. I got 70,000 points, but my brother beat everyone with 300,000!

By this time, we were all tired, and decided to head home. We left the park at around 10:45. Next time, I want to see the new World of Color, get a better view of Paint the Night, and hopefully ride Matterhorn again! Great day overall!

 

[Disney Kidd]

I also want to add that there is an 11:00 Paint the Night parade. When we were exiting a few minutes before 11, there were tons of spaces! Definitely a lot less crowded. I would suggest going to the 11:00 if you don't want to sit around for two hours.

 

[Disney Kidd]

I also wanted to mention that they are doing a Diamond Days Sweepstakes. You have to text the word of the day between 7-10:59 am to be eligible for the daily entry. You are automatically enrolled in the weekly and final drawing as well! If you text the word of the day between 11 am and 6:59 am the next day, you are only entered in the weekly and final drawing.